What happens when a bunch of truly talented artists comes
together to tell the tale of some real-life heroes and sheroes? Brilliantly crafted
and realistically narrated movie like Virus will be its creation, one can
undoubtedly say.
By far the best of Aashiq Abu’s career, Virus skilfully stages
the anxiety-inducing moments of the Nipah virus outbreak that happened in
Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala. Instead of over-dramatization of
real events, writers Muhsin Parari, Suhas and Sharfu chose to painstakingly
research the incidents and construct a script so gripping that in spite of
knowing all about it, you will find yourself at the edge of your seat.
Keeping the central character as Nipah, director Aashiq Abu,
carefully and compassionately unfolds the plot under the masterful
cinematography by Rajeev Ravi, with additional support provided by Shyju
Khalid. Brilliant editing by Saiju Sreedharan and riveting music by Sushin
Shyam adds the cherry on top.
No unnecessary diversions, over glorification of characters
or any kind of efforts to milk a tragedy of such magnitude, Virus instead
focusses on a bunch of imperfect normal human beings who rose to the occasion;
some who fought the battle and lived to tell the tale and some who bravely
fought but are not with us anymore.
Virus is filled with moments which will
touch your heart, like the helpless mother’s question about whether everyone
hates her son who apparently was the source for the spread of virus or the
letter sister Akhila left for her husband.
To bring together a stellar cast and technical crew to pull
of such a survival medical thriller is not an easy job. Aashiq Abu and team
successfully ensembled the multi- starrer with some of the best of talents from
the industry. From Babu, a hospital helper (an exceptional Joju George), to a
senior health official Baburaj (Indrajith Sukumaran), big or small, each
character had a role to play and unlike other multi starrers, the artists were
not competing with each other for space but did their respective parts with confidence,
making Virus a truly artistic creation and stands as a testament to the community
who fought the battle. Infact Virus
brings many of the stars out of their regular typecast roles, like Kunchako
Boban as Dr. Suresh Rajan different from the stereotypical roles he has been
playing and Sreenath Bhasi who got into the skin of the medical professional
Dr. Abid, effortlessly.
Virus will make you proud, firstly for the courage, we displayed to stand together and fight such a deadly outbreak from identification to its
total annihilation and second for the amount of talent which shines through in
all aspects of this film, making it a milestone in the history of Malayalam
Cinema.
While I write this review or while you are watching the
movie, Kerala is on the battleground once again having a face to face with the
deadly virus. But just like what the movie conveys, we have won the battle
once, we will fight it again, together.
Spread knowledge, not fear.
#Fear #Fight #Survival #Virus
Picture Courtesy: IMDb, Firstpost, Youtube
